Join museum educators as we kick off a new month in Discovery Time! This month we will be celebrating black scientists from a variety of disciplines. For our first week we will be looking at NASA’s human computers, a group of extraordinary black women who helped get humans to the moon. We will complete a parabola activity as well. Participants will learn STEM skills through play. Activities are designed for ages 3-6, all are welcome.

Our February Science Explorations theme is Science and Civil Rights. WonderLab believes in amplifying the work of many scientists and recognizes the importance of diverse representation in our museum and across our programs. We strive to put these beliefs into practice 12 months a year. We also recognize that February is Black history month and historically, not all voices and faces have been well represented in fields of science. So during the month of February, we are paying respect to the careers of Black scientists and conducting experiments that reflect their work.

Join us this week as we learn about George Carruthers, an inventor, engineer, physicist, and space scientist. His most well known invention was a powerful ultraviolet camera/spectrograph used by NASA on the Apollo 16 mission. We will learn more about George Carruthers work, as well as his spectrograph invention and how it helped us learn more about space. This program supports Indiana earth and space science standards for 2nd and 3rd grade and Next Generation Science Standards 3rd through 5th grade.

Join museum educators as we kick off a new month in Science Sprouts! This month we will be celebrating black scientists from a variety of disciplines. For our first week we will be looking at NASA’s human computers, a group of extraordinary black women who helped get humans to the moon. We will complete a moon landing activity as well. Participants will learn STEM skills through play. Activities are designed for ages 0-3, all are welcome.

TWO WAYS TO EXPERIENCE:
Drop a note to [email protected] and we will send you the ZOOM link
OR
watch LIVE on the Writers Guild at Bloomington Facebook page

WEDNESDAY, FEB 3
6pm EST
featuring
authors Shannon Gibney & Ellen Birkett Morris
poet Jen Moore
& music from bassist Stephan Crump

Sponsored in part by the Indiana Arts Commission, Bloomington Arts Commission, and the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association – Indiana

SHANNON GIBNEY is an award-winning author of books of all kinds — from novels to anthologies to essays to picture books. She writes for adults, children, and everyone in-between. The through-line in all her work is stories that may have previously gone untold. Her books include “What God Is Honored Here: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss by and for Native Women and Women of Color” (University of Minnesota Press, 2019); the young adult novel “See No Color,” and her most recent novel, “Dream Country” (Dutton, 2018). www.shannongibney.com

A native of Louisville, ELLEN BIRKETT MORRIS is the author of LOST GIRLS, a short story collection, and SURRENDER, a poetry chapbook. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from Queens University – Charlotte. Her short stories have appeared in Antioch Review, Shenandoah, South Carolina Review, Upstreet, and elsewhere. www.ellenbirkettmorris.ink

JENNIFER MOORE was born and raised in Seattle. She is the author of “Easy Does It” (2021) and “The Veronica Maneuver” (2015), both from the University of Akron Press, and a chapbook of centos, “Smaller Ghosts” (Seven Kitchens Press, 2020). Her poems have appeared in Crazyhorse, Bennington Review, Interim, The Cincinnati Review, and elsewhere. An associate professor of creative writing, she currently serves as Director of the School for the Humanities and Global Cultures at Ohio Northern University and lives in Bowling Green, Ohio. www.jenmoorepoet.com

Memphis-bred, Grammy-nominated, Echo Award-winning bassist/composer STEPHAN GRUMP is an active bandleader with twelve critically-acclaimed album releases in addition to numerous film scoring contributions. Known for transforming his instrument into a speaking entity of magnetic pull, his focus on creative instrumental music has led to collaborations with many of the leading lights of his generation. www.stephancrump.com